Accused R.C. 'peeping Tom' electrician pleads guilty, gets 270 days in jail

An electrician accused of watching women through hidden cameras he installed in homes where he was hired to work has pleaded guilty to a felony burglary charge.

David Mitchell Clark, 35, will be sentenced to 270 days in county jail and be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.

According to a police report attached to Clark's court file, the Rancho Cucamonga resident allegedly placed cameras in at least three different locations to view and record video of women.

The first camera was discovered in August in a bathroom in a home where Clark was hired to perform electrical work in the 6400 block of Cambridge Avenue in Rancho Cucamonga.

When confronted about the camera, which was attached to a power tool Clark allegedly left on the bathroom floor, Clark said he used the camera to view hard-to-see spaces -- such as the inside of walls -- while doing his work.

San Bernardino County sheriff's deputies later found a hard drive belonging to Clark in the home's attic that contained video footage of a woman changing clothes in a bathroom.

Deputies also discovered a hidden camera in the bathroom of another home where Clark was hired to do work.

When he was arrested in October, Clark told a detective he fixed a hidden camera through his apartment wall to spy on women who lived in an adjoining unit.

When asked by the detective why he installed the cameras, Clark replied, according to the report: "Because they were hot. It was an opportunity that I should have never considered, but I did it, and it's going to ruin my life."

As part of a plea deal reached Tuesday in West Valley Superior Court, prosecutors agreed to dismiss an additional burglary count and two misdemeanor "peeping Tom" counts filed in October against Clark.

Because Clark has been in custody since his arrest, he will be credited for the time he's already served and will likely spend roughly 200 additional days in jail, said Deputy District Attorney Jason Anderson.

The conviction will also count as a strike under California's three-strikes law.